Basic perceptual abilities are universal, and most people can distinguish between millions of distinct shades. However, languages differ in the set basic color terms (BCTs) they have. Despite numerous prior studies, exact number BCTs Mandarin (Sino-Tibetan) Spanish (Indo-European) is still debated. In Mandarin, this varies from 6 to 11, whereas there about 11 or 12 BCTs. Additionally, differenc...

A new method is presented for the identification of basic color terms (BCTs) from a language’s color-naming data. A function is defined to measure how well a term is understood in a communicating population. A threshold value is then constructed for this function to separate basic terms from other terms. Also, a new mathematical method is proposed and analyzed for determining the best exemplar ...

In their lead articles, both Kowalski and Zimiles (2006) and O'Hanlon and Roberson (2006) declare a general relation between color term knowledge and the ability to conceptually represent color. Kowalski and Zimiles, in particular, argue for a priority for the conceptual representation in color term acquisition. The complexities of the interaction are taken up in the current commentary, especia...

Humans are able to categorize an infinite variety of surface colors into a small number of color terms. Previous studies have shown that 11 basic color terms are commonly used in fully developed languages. These studies usually used flat matte color plates as stimuli, but we can also perceive the colors of glossy surfaces by discounting the effect of the gloss. However, color terms such as GOLD...

The study of the linguistics of color terms has mostly been concerned with isolating the 'basic' color terms of a language: the smallest set of linguistically simplex expressions of the language with which a speaker can name any color

Cross-cultural studies of color naming show that basic terms are universally the most frequently used to name colors. However, such basic color terms are always used in the context of larger linguistic systems when speciŽ c properties of color experience are described. To investigate naturalistic naming behaviors, we examined the use of modiŽ ers in English and Vietnamese color naming using an ...